Envelope



Patented Jan. 1:2, 1937 UNITEDY STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to envelopes and particularly to means permitting the quick and ready opening of the envelope. Envelopes containing letters or rst-class matter are care- 5 fully sealed and oftentimes when the enclosure fills up the envelope, it is difficult totear the envelope across or open it so that the enclosure may be removed. It is oftentimes necessary to hold the envelope up to a strong light in order 10 to determine the location of the contents before the recipient dares to tear the envelope open, as unless this is done, the tearing olf of one end of the envelope is likely to tear 01T the end of a letter or check, or the like. This also l5 oftentimes results in the defacement of the face of the envelope and possibly the tearing away of a portion of the return address.

The object of the present invention is to provide an envelope which in most respects is con- 20 structed after the manner of any ordinary envelope but in which one of the end flaps is provided with a transversely extending slit, which is in such position that it will not be liable to, be accidentally torn, but which permits the in- 25 sertion of a finger to tear this end flap across! and permit the end flap to be opened up and thus remove the contents of the envelope without in any way affecting or defacing the front of the envelope, and without in any way tending 30 to injure the contents of the envelope.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of the back of an envelope after the envelope has been 35 sealed and as it would pass through the mails;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section of the envelope with the envelope angularly bent so as to open the slit and permit the insertion of a finger;

40 Figure 3 is a like view to Figure 1 but showing the manner in which the iinger is used after insertion in the slit to tear the envelope open;

Figure 4 shows the end iiap of the envelope torn away and pulled open to thus permit the 45 removal of the contents.

Referring to these figures, I designates an ordinary envelope such as is commonly used today, having the top nap II, the bottom nap I2 and the end flap I3. The end flap I3 is gummed to the margin of the bottom flap I2 at 'I4 and, of course, when the envelope is closed, the top flap Il is brought down over the bottom and end flaps and gummed thereto in the usual manner. My invention consists in placing in an 5 end flap I3 the slit I5, which extends parallel to the end edge of the envelope and may have any desired or convenient length. This slit I5 is disposed inward from the extreme end of the envelope in a position where it will be somewhat protected and not likely to be torn or come in contact with the ngers of the postman or those who cancel the stamps.

In opening an envelope of this kind, the envelope is bent at one end angularly, as shown more or less diagrammatically in Figure 2, so that the slit I5 will open slightly, thus permitting a finger to be inserted within the slit, and then the finger is shifted laterally beneath the flap I 2 and beneath the ap I I, as shown by the dotzo ted lines in Figure 2, so as to tear the flap I3 on the line of the slit I5, as at I5, in opposite directions, thus entirely freeing the flap I3 and' permitting this ap to be pulled open, as shown in Figure 4. Then the contents may be readily removed intact.

While I have illustrated this slit I5 as applied to a particular form of envelope such as the standard correspondence envelope commonly manufactured, it is to be understood that my invention may be applied to other forms of envelopes without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

An envelope comprising a body sheet having a bottom flap, a top flap and end flaps, the end flaps being gummed to the bottom ap and the top flap extending over the end iiaps and adapted to be gummed thereto, one of said end naps being provided with a straight slit extending parallel to one end of the envelope and terminating short of the adjacent edges of the top and bottom iiaps whereby to permit the insertion of a finger in the slit and to permit the tearing of the envelope along the line of said slit to thereby detach the outer portion of the slitted end ap from the top and bottom flaps and permit the opening of the end flap.

JAMES C. STOCKS. 

